The ex-Villa captain made 218 total appearances for the claret and blues between 2006 and 2012 before he was diagnosed with leukaemia after developing a fever during a 3-0 loss at Arsenal.

He was ultimately forced to hang up his boots in May 2013 without playing another game, but the Bulgarian is now back in training with Villa’s Under-21s and wants to re-join the club to help in their bid for promotion back to the Premier League next season.

Black has yet to see the former Celtic midfielder in training but previously worked with him at Parkhead and is backing him to make it back onto the pitch given his tremendous desire and determination.

Petrov first joined Villa from Celtic in August 2006 for £6.5 million, reuniting with his former manager Martin O’Neill after winning four Scottish league titles together at Parkhead.

After overcoming a slow start, the defensive midfielder went on to establish himself as a firm favourite for his committed performances and was handed the captain’s armband in the summer of 2009 following Martin Laursen’s retirement.

As well as winning the club’s Player of the Year award for 2008-09, he also helped O’Neill’s side achieve three straight sixth-place Premier League finishes and led the team to both the League Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final appearance in 2010.

Since his retirement, the 105-times capped Bulgarian has had a couple of backroom stints back at the club and has also been helping Kevin MacDonald coach the Under-21s on an informal basis over the course of this season.

Freddie Shires

Freddie is a freelance sports writer, having recently completed an MA in Sports Journalism at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. With an especially keen interest in all things American sports-related, he has written extensively about the NFL, MLS and the U.S. national team for various sites.